#Albumen silver print from glass negative

[kino-free-time]

Newsman

1870s

source

[stirringwinds]

[Year: 1867 Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative Artist/creator: Portrait taken of an unknown samurai, by the respected Nagasaki photographer Uchida Kuichi, at his Yokohama studio before he moved to the Asakusa district of Edo (modern Tokyo). Uchida would go on to be the first and only photographer permitted to photograph the Emperor Meiji.]

i love the thought of nations appearing in old photographs and portraits, crossing paths with real photographers, painters and sculptors—and leaving glimpses of themselves throughout history that way. personally, i think kiku always kept long hair—until the pressure to westernise unleashed by the american black ships and the encroachment of other western powers. and so, right on the dawn of the meiji era, i see him deciding to have one final photograph taken before that symbolic haircut that would break with centuries of japanese and wider east asian tradition.

[eucanthos]

Lewis Carroll (UK, 1832 - 1898)

Alice Liddell as "The Beggar Maid", 1858. Albumen silver print from glass negative [b/w here] - The Met

Carroll had this ambiguous relationship with young Alice Liddell. Alice inspired his masterpiece tale and was documented in his pioneering photography.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There" (1872), were both written for Alice, daughter of the dean of Christ Church, Oxford, where Carroll was lecturer in mathematics and ordained deacon. Alice was more than his favorite model; she was his "ideal child-friend."

The present image of Alice was most likely inspired by "The Beggar Maid," a poem written by Carroll's favorite living poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in 1842.

If Carroll's images define childhood as a fragile state of innocent grace threatened by the experience of growing up and the demands of adults, they also reveal the photographer's erotic imagination. In this provocative portrait of Alice at age seven or eight, Carroll arranged the tattered dress to the limits of the permissible, showing as much as possible of her bare chest and limbs, elicited from her a self-confident, even challenging stance.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/283092

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7mrIJCjTdc

[ce-sac-contient]

Gustave Le Gray (1820-1884) - Mer Méditerranée - Sète, 1857

Albumen silver print from two glass negatives (53 x 67 cm)

MetMuseum

[vulturesouls]

Portraits of French anarchists, 1894

Nicolas Celeste Lapointe, age 45, shoemaker

Henri Victor Dumont, age 29, mechanic

Joseph Alexandre Benoit, age 33, tinsmith

Romain Labeyrie, age 19, sculptor

Guelle, called St Denis), age 72, quilter

Julian Fetis, age 26, roofer

Albumen silver prints from glass negatives by Paris police officer Alphonse Bertillon (French, 1853–1914)

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art

[mybeingthere]

Femme turque en toilette de ville by Félix Bonfils.The Met’s Photography Department, Albumen silver print from glass negative.  Purchased with funds from various donors, 2010 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.

[strange-gender-of-the-day]

Today's Gender: Young Girl(?) from Sicily, 1906

Albumen silver print from glass negative, labeled Young Girl [?] with Cloak of Cloth Over Head, Sicily, Italy

(because sometimes even the Metropolitan Museum of Art isn't too sure about your gender and that's ok)

[allshewantstodois]

Art credit: Adrien Constant de Rebecque, Man in Chainmail Tunic Posing as a Dying Soldier (1863), albumen silver print from collodion glass negative, 17.9 x 24.2 cm.

[ardn516-amelia-lewis]

A Different Light Exhibit

The A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa exhibition showed the conception of photography in Aotearoa and how it was used to portray different facets of the country.  I really enjoyed seeing this exhibition, something about seeing a photo of people from so long ago humanises them in a way impossible in any other medium; making it a very powerful tool.  It was interesting to see how much has changed, and yet how much has remained in both the scenes and the photographers' intentions.  

The first photo I found particularly interesting was the portrait of the Thompson family (photo 1).  The photo is an opalotype on translucent glass which gives it a soft quality.  The most interesting aspect to me is the painted eyes on top of the print.  It’s fascinating how even in 1893 when the photo was taken, people have been manipulating images to look the way they want them to, bringing out something perhaps even more human than the photo itself.

The second photo I found interesting is an albumen silver stereograph of the Auckland domain from 1861 (photo 2).  It’s so interesting how different the domain looks, covered in bush.  The medium of the stereograph allows the scene to be captured in 3 dimensions, freezing that moment in time.  

A similar thing can be said about photo 3, a cyanotype of the cold water baths white terrace, a natural wonder that was sadly lost only a few years after this photo was captured.  The caption of the image describes how the huge glass plate negatives had to be carried on horseback all the way home, which made me reflect on the photo I took in two seconds on my phone to document the photo.  The amount of effort put into the production of these photos makes them feel all the more precious.

Photo 4 drew my attention because of the painting next to it.  Though the painting is beautiful, the photo makes the town feel so much more real.  I was really struck by looking between the painting that feels like something about of a fairytale, and the actual imprint of the light from the town so many years ago.  

The last photo drew me to it because of the intimacy captured in the photo, it clearly captures the peace and love of the father and daughter, the light falls on the face of the girl and the side of her father highlighting their connection.  They aren’t perfectly posed, the girl has her eyes closed and the father reads his book, appearing to be a candid moment, whether or not it truely was.  It is unlike the very stiff, carefully constructed photos seen in many other photos of the time.

[cfc8955]

First Photographs of Aotearoa 

In many of the early photographs of Aotearoa, documentation was prevalent. The people, the wildlife, the landscapes, the plants, all feature in the photography produced from that time. An example of plant documentation is seen in Herbert B. Dobbie’s work, where different specimens of New Zealand’s ferns are documented through the process of cyanotype. There are also many photographs that document the scale of the wonders that Aotearoa has to offer. Te Hauturu –o-Toi (Little Barrier Island kauri) depicts two figures standing at the base of a kauri tree that looms above them - one figure is holding an axe up to the base of the trunk. This image could be interpreted in a couple of ways. One perspective would be that this is simply a documentation of New Zealand’s wildlife. Another could be looking through “Western eyes” at these materials as a potential to make money.  

Portraits were another aspect of this documentation. However, many of the portrait images we see today have had aspects modified. For example, in John Kinder’s image of Wiremu Tamihana te Waharoa, Chief of Ngati Haua, the background was painted over. Behind the figure originally stood the side of the Elms Library, which was replaced with a white background in the developing process to give the impression that the sky was behind the figure.  Another example is Daniel Mundy’s image of Sir George Grey, where thefigure is sitting in front of a white backdrop. Used as a reference image, the figure of Grey was then painted onto paper with a backdrop of lush bush and tall grey mountains. To me, these moments remove the image’s authenticity – how are we able to trust these images to show us what was/wasn’t there? This also emphasizes the idea that these images were used to market Aotearoa to the Western world. Showing imagery of the landscapes that New Zealand has to offer would be more appealing to that audience than showing just the figure itself. 

Herbert B. Dobbie, New Zealand ferns, 1880, cyanotype (278 x 340 mm). 

Henry Wright, Te Hauturu –o-Toi / Little Barrier Island kauri, Friday, 30th September 1892, whole-plate gelatin silver glass negative (215 x 165 mm) 

George Henry Swan, Parts three to five of a nine-part panorama of Wellington’s waterfront including Lambton Quay, 1862, albumen silver prints mounted on card (144 x 197 mm, each print, slightly irregular) 

John Kinder, Wiremu Tamihana te Waharoa, Chief of Ngati Haua, 1863, albumen silver print mounted on album page (107 x 78 mm). 

John Kinder, Wiremu Tamihana, William Thompson the kingmaker. New Zealand, 1863, albumen silver print mounted on album page (107 x 78mm). 

[moonlitmistyforest]

Gustave Le Gray - Brig on the Water, 1856 Albumen silver print from glass negative 32.1 x 40.5 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In later seascapes such as The Great Wave (1857), Le Gray would famously resolve the problem of capturing both ocean and clouds by printing his seascapes from two negatives-one exposed properly for the shore and sea, the second for the sky. This first essay, however, was made with a single negative and succeeded by taking advantage of the reflective qualities of sea, as opposed to land, and by suggesting the effects of twilight or moonlight rather than bright daylight. Brig on the Water was among the most famous and widely distributed photographs of the nineteenth century, enjoying enormous success in England as well as in France. A London printseller's advertisement in The Times in November 1856 made the incredible claim of "800 copies subscribed for in two months."

[kino-free-time]

Florist

1870s

source

[ardn516thephotographicimage]

Week 4

A different light - First Photographs of Aotearoa

These photographs were all taken by Pākehā men. Did these wāhine Māori style themselves for their portraits. Once taken, a photograph could travel far beyond its original purpose.

These are some of the earliest surviving photographs of Tāmaki Makaura Auckland. Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, and Ōtepoti Dunedin. Land reclaimed from the sea and buildings make it difficult to recognise the cities as we all know them now. ollow the sea and see what landmarks you recognise, like Lambton Quay when it was a waterfront promenade.

The glass-plate negative that made this cyanotype was the same size as print. Now image gingerly washing that enormous negative in the sulphury waters of Te Tarata, then carrying a case full of rattling glass plates on hourseback all the way home. When mount Tarawera erupted in 1886, The Tarata the White Terrace and Ōtūkapuarangi the Pink Terrace was buried. The photographs, paintings, and stories are our only records.

Dagurreotypes were the first widely used photographs. They were expensive, fragile, and blurry if the sitter didn't hold perfectly still. It wasn't untill the 20th century that we were told to say 'cheese'. Saying 'prunes' instead kept lips tight, avoiding forced smiles and hiding bad teeth. To make a daguerreotype, photographers polished a silver-coated plate until it shone like a mirror, then applied chemicals to make it sensitive. to light. The plate was put in a camera and aimed at a sitter, who had to hold their pose for up to a minute. Mercury vapour revealed the image, chemicals fixed it in place, and a decorative case kept it safe for posterity.

Pukekawa, Auckland Domain circa 1961. John Kinder, Albumen silver stereograph

Carved starn post of Native Canoe, ornamented with feathers circa 1865. John Kinder, Albumen silver print.

[ardn632sem2ashleighdanby]

Week 1 SDL

"How Photographs Can Tell Lies" Video Reflection

This video was very interesting as I had never considered the fact that photo manipulation had been going on since it's invention (pretty much).Here's some key things that I picked up from the video:

Context

The 5 W's and 1 H (WHO/WHAT/WHEN/WHERE/WHY/HOW) are so important when setting up the context for a photograph. But, overall, the photographer is the person creating the overall context of the photograph (creating the first way an image can be manipulated).

People Make Them, People View Them

This point made a strong argument in saying that personal bias is another form of manipulating a photograph. Either the photographer or viewer can put their own bias on the photograph. "People can manipulate something just by their presence' really stuck with me.

This still taken from the video is a clear example of how personal bias can change an image - the narrator said the picture on the right would more reflect the story the boys' parents would like to portray and the image on the left would be the photographers as she was trying to document the context of the Vietnam War and his parents would probably just want to show was a happy lad he is. This really highlighted the thought that photographers frame our view of an image: because in both of these photographers, the boy is holding a grenade and stand in the exact same spot.

This part of the video also describes "The Observer Effect" which basically talks about how people who know they are being photographed usually change their behaviour because they are being 'observed' which I find extremely correct: whenever I am doing a photoshoot normally carefree people would become awkward after behind in front of the camera. This drove home the fact that "photographs give a subject truth".

The Staged Image

Staging a scene is another way a photograph can be manipulated. Staging a scene can help with symbolism and tell a story, but it can also be a way to be purposefully deceitful. It really depends on the photographer and their bias. Or the viewer is looking for a "confirmation bias" - they see what they want to see.

Depending how much a photographer stages the scene, determines how much the image is lying.

Physical Manipulation

Is the last form of manipulation talked about in the video. I found it interesting that photographs have always been able to be manipulated - not just through the use of Photoshop. A notable example in the video was the use of "Spirit Photography" by William Hope and William Mumler.

These were most likely created by doing a double-exposure.

Another key point noted was the use of "selective editing" which can be as simple as adding a filter to a photograph to change the perception of something.

Overall, I really enjoyed this video and learned a lot about the different ways to manipulate an image: and it isn't all post-production. If anything it's more pre-production.

"A Brief History of Photography and Truth" Article Reflection

This article was also quite interesting as I learned about the invention of photography in general which I hadn't given much thought to before this. The article basically goes through the 'brief history' of who and when people created different aspects of the skill of photography we see now. I especially loved the comparison of the 2 popular phrases "pics or it didn't happen" compared to "the camera never lies" and how ironic these statements have become due to the use of manipulation of images.

The different ways of getting a photograph (silver plated copper/salted paper print/albumen print "glass plate"/double exposure) all came together to create the wet plate collodion negative and albumen print which at the time (1850s) was the quickest and cheapest way to produce a photograph. I found it interesting that earlier stages of taking a photograph required a lot of time, and I had never considered that this would then make the photograph unreliable of the truth (as it made a bustling street look empty for example).

The article also touched base on how a lot of wartime photographs were staged, but in saying that, the photographers responded to this by saying that staging the photographs, created a truthful representation of what the time was actually like. To which, I agree. One of the main examples was Roger Fenton's 1855 photograph depicting the valley of cannon balls. In reality, the valley did not look like this, Fenton moved the cannonballs into the frame. BUT all of the cannonballs were still on sight, so in my opinion, moving these cannonballs into the frame is still an accurate depiction and it would be the same as taking the photograph from further away to get all of the cannonballs in the frame (just without the detail).

I have done this myself for my last assignment where I photographed footprints in the sand, but instead of photographing random footprints that were already there, I chose to stage the footprints to have them look neater. The footprints were still there, I just made them look better.

[cendrineartist]

Early photography: Tubular Jetty, Mouth of the Adour, Port of Bayonne - Louis Lafon

Early photography: Tubular Jetty, Mouth of the Adour, Port of Bayonne - Louis Lafon https://creativeramblings.com/favorite-photography/tubular-jetty-mouth-adour-port-bayonne-louis-lafon/

Sharing my favorite images from the early days of photography… Title: Tubular Jetty, Mouth of the Adour, Port of Bayonne Date: 1892 Location: France Photographer: Louis Lafon (active 1870s-1890s) Process: albumen silver print from glass negative French photographer Louis Lafon focused on industrial scenes and landscapes featuring man-made artifacts. Source and information: The Metropolitan…

[willow-1vy]

Hello, I'm Ivy, I'm nineteen and I post mostly about art and my current interests.

All photos that I post are either in the Public Domain or under the CC0 license, with the source cited.

CC0 License

Public Domain

Header image: Frith, F. (1857) The Sphynx and Great Pyramid, Geezeh [Albumen silver print from glass negative]. Available at: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Avatar image: Pierre-Louis Pierson (1861–67, printed ca. 1930) Scherzo di Follia [Gelatin silver print from glass negative]. Available at: The Metropolitan Museum of Art